Weiner dog owners, can we talk?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
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I am the proud and loving owner of Nathan, a brown and tan/dappled dachshund. This is how I found him.

Just now I am worried for him. He’s not been well. Somehow he got really constipated. I noticed he was moving slowly, and seemed to be in pain. This came on quickly. X-rays at the vets showed he was WAY backed up, and also might have a slight disc problem. Nathan spent the night at the vet, got enemas, and came home two days ago.

But he’s still not well. I’ve fed him the prescribed food, along with stool softeners I had to get at the pharmacy. This afternoon he was obviously still hurting. I called the vet office again and got three pills, for three days, an anti-inflammatory called Carprofen. I’ve given him the first one and it’s been about four hours. He seems to be feeling a little better, and actually was able to get up on my recliner, one of his favorite spots. I hope he gets even better.

Nathan is not quite seven years old. As the link mentioned, I got him from the local humane society.

Can any other current, or former wiemer dog owners chime in with their own stories, or advice in how to deal with dachshund problems? I like funny stories too. I have already bought a set of steps and hope to train him using it to get up on the couch or the bed. He’s always been athletic, being able to get onto a picnic table by going from bench to table top with no previous problems.

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Poor little guy, I hope he gets better. My Daisy is a beagle/dachshund mutt. We got her from a shelter about 9 years ago. She is THE perfect dog. Spoiled rotten. Two years ago diagnosed with a heart murmur. Two weeks ago diagnosed with congestive heart failure. The cardiologist thinks with medication (which she’s been on for two weeks now) she’ll have two more good years. It’s never enough. If I outlive her, I’ll get another dachshund mix. Best hounds ever.

3

At the beginning of my OP the link there contains another link, to the story of my first dog. She was a (mostly) dachshund mix the I think was dumped. I had her only two months, learning the hard way to always keep a dog outside on a leash, or fenced. It was the love of that dog that impelled me to get Nathan, and began my love affair with dachshunds.

You should see my collection of dachshund paraphenalia! As I type I’m wearing a sweatshirt from a high school in Indiana. They are the Frankfurt Hot Dogs, and the mascot is a snarling weiner dog.

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Oh, Baker, I teared up as soon as I started reading your post. I have been fortunate to have my Lewis for 9 years, and I can hardly bear to think about the day when he starts suffering the effects of old age. I am so sorry you and Nathan are going through these medical difficulties. He’s much too young for all this!

Dachshunds are, as I’m sure you know, prone to disc problems. Regular exercise helps with this, along with regular bowel movements.

It’s also helpful to keep them from jumping on and off furniture. My vet shared with me early on that most serious disc problems he sees in Dachshunds are as a result of allowing this behavior. The steps will help Nathan a lot. I trained Lewis to wait for me to lift him up and down off sofa/bed/whatever, and that has worked well. He certainly can jump on and off, but I don’t let him do it.

Did your vet share any ideas about what could be causing the constipation? That just seems odd. Lewis goes on command and that has gotten me in the habit of making sure he has a daily bowel movement. Usually I don’t have to remind him, but it’s nice to have the feature. I notice he is sometimes reticent to go if the weather isn’t agreeable.

Is Nathan getting enough water? I don’t know if this is common with Dachshunds, but I noticed Lewis seems to forget to drink enough. So again, I trained him to drink on command and usually tell him to take a drink before bedtime. It always surprises me how much he drinks when I remind him!

Despite being a little “high maintenance” with having to be told to do everything, he is my heart, just as I am sure Nathan is yours, too. I hope you and the vet get to the, uh, bottom of his issues very soon.

Another mention about the disc problem… when Lewis’s disc issues started to show up, I was surprised to learn his weight had crept up to 2 pounds over his regular weight. He’s always hovered between 11 1/2 - 12 pounds and he was up to 14! I immediately started paring him down, much to his dismay. But I noticed an immediate improvement in his pain level. He’s all svelte again now, frisky and lively as ever. The difference was amazing.

Please keep us posted about how Nathan is doing. I will be thinking of you both and hoping for a good outcome.

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The vet asked many questions as to what Nathan’s habits are, and what he might have consumed that caused the constipation. As far as I know he didn’t have anything he’d never had before, his diet was normal. That doesn’t mean he didn’t get into something I don’t know about. He gets plenty of water.

I’ve got to figure out how to train him to the steps. I’ve put some little bits of his normal kibble on them. He’s started eating again this evening. Earlier today, before he got the Carprofen, he didn’t seem to want to eat. And he’s quite a chow hound, so that’s not good. I gave him the med in a small glob of peanut butter, that’s how he gets his regular monthly dose of Trifexis, for heartworm and fleas.

I will keep a sharp eye on his diet as soon as he’s feeling better. He has gained a little weight, although he’s not heavy. Your Lewis sounds like a miniature dachshund, Nathan is standard size, and I saw has gone up two pounds from 17.2 to 19.2 Thanks for the advice on weight, and I’m glad to hear Lewis perked up when he pared down.

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Yes, Lewis is a mini. That 2-lb. weight gain was a lot!

Since Nathan likes peanut butter, would a treat of half a peanut per step be useful in training him? Lewis would plot my untimely demise for half a peanut, without hesitation. I’ll bet you could get away with just one half peanut at the end of the journey in no time. :slight_smile:

Great news that Nathan is eating again! Sounds like he’s coming good! I hope his recovery continues well and without another episode.

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I’m not a doxy owner, but I have come in to this thread to (pre-emptively, it seems) yell at **Gatopescado **for once again failing to provide us with videos of his Adventure Dachshunds.

Hopefully he will be around to give advice, and see my angry note.

Best of luck to you and little Nathan. They are a wonderful breed with special needs indeed.

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Has he particpated in a hot dog race wearing a hot dog costume?

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If steps are too hard for him you can try a ramp. I have a couple sizes in my shop (see my marketplace posting)

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He’s not worn the costume, but he has raced. Never won, but came in second once.

He’s feeling a little better, but there’s that spot on his back that hurts. Next week I’ll consult with the vet about that.

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Ours is 8 and has no big health problems except that he’s peeing a lot lately, including inside. I think it’s behavioral though he’s due for the vet.

Other than that, the problems are that he’s a rage filled little asshole. I don’t have a good solution with that except to ignore him and back off when it seem like he’s about to act up.

I remember the original thread, but had no idea it was so long ago!

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Penny is a more or less wire haired dachshund. I found her wandering down a country road. Someone else found her brother, who had long legs, but he was adopted by someone who did not have a fence.

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The constipation might be a side effect of the disk injury. If it hurts his back to squat, he might be trying to hold it, instead. Dachshund are not well engineered for squatting.

My beast is a poodle mix, but he’s a long bodied, short legged dog. I use these stairs because the depth of the riser is easier for him to maneuver.

I trained him to go up the steps just by sitting on the bed and giving him treats every time he went up or down. It only took one session. Unfortunately, he still likes to jump off things, and that can hurt the back as much as jumping up.

I’m thinking of getting a bed rail, like this:

Mostly to funnel him toward the steps at the end of the bed but also so I can fill the bed with pillows like a ball pit.

Ahem.

Anyway, I think the key is to give him sedate exercise. That will help with his back and his bowels, both. Quiet walks, as long as he doesn’t seem to be in pain.

And then make sure he doesn’t do any jumping for a few weeks, at least. Crate him, if necessary. Lift him up and down as needed, being super careful about supporting his back end. Other than teaching him about the pet stairs, try to discourage him from racing and up and down stairs if your home has them.

And you might ask the vet about massages for Nathan. My dog has a bit of a kink in his back from when he tweaked it a few years ago. It doesn’t seem to trouble him, but he likes it when I rub there. (He leans into it).

Good luck!

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Daisy does NOT like using steps. I’ve got a set near the bed, and a set near the front window where she likes to hang out. She deigns to use them to ascend, but prefers to jump off the window ledge or off the bed. I was hoping she’d use the steps more as she go older, but noooooo.

She doesn’t drink much water, either. Maybe she wants Evian instead? And she doesn’t head out to urinate much, despite being on a diuretic for the past couple of weeks now. Perhaps urination is beneath her dignity as well? Though she does insist on going out to the front lawn to do so, instead of going out back with thedogs. (I have two others, both beagle/basset mutts.)

Here’s a link to a pic of my three beasts. Daisy is the one top/right.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10155153151849851&l=d6f18f66b9

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I have a new problem, could use help fast.

I gave Nathan his pain pill this afternoon. After a while I went to do errands, Came home with a couple loads of stuff to carry up the stairs and he seemed excited, a little frisky. He followed me DOWN the stairs, but now either can’t, or won’t, come up the stairs. When I tried to pick him up he yelped in pain and I put him down.

What the hell am I supposed to do now? I tried putting bits of his favorite kibble on the steps, but he won’t even look at them. I’m ready to cry with worry.

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First up, where do you want him to be for the evening, upstairs or downstairs? Also, should he go to the bathroom downstairs before you take him upstairs?

First option to move him upstairs - pet carrier. Put him in a pet carrier and carry him upstairs that way.

Second option - carry him. Think of it like you want your arm under his whole body to support the length of it. He should be tucked in close to your side so you can manage that. You’ll need to crouch down so you can slide your arm under him, tuck him in tightly, and then stand up. Your hand should be between his front legs. His back legs should be back around your elbow, and as much of his body as possible should be resting on your arm.

You can try it with a pillow if you like, but it may get to bulky to manage. The pillow would go under his body. It’ll offer him a little more support. You’ll just have to judge whether you can keep him snug and stable that way.

He may yip a little as you shift him. Just be slow and steady and keep moving. Make sure you’ve got a snug grip. Get it over with and get him upstairs and comfortable.

You may want to shut him up before you open the door to go downstairs until his back is doing better. Poor little guy. :frowning:

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Thank you Sunny Daze. I have a carrier but he’s a little too big for it, it’s the cat’s actually.

I tried what you said with the pillow. Got him to lie down on it and managed to get my arms underneath. Kept him mostly level. He did cry a couple times but he’s up here now. Thank you SO Much for the pillow idea… I have one more anti-inflammatory to give him. The vet is open for a half day tomorrow, I’m going to see if I can get a couple more, to tide Nathan over to the beginning of next week. And I won’t be letting him near the stairs again.

He had to come up. See, I own the whole house but the downstairs is fitted out as another apartment. At the foot of the stairs he’d be only a door away from the other place. And there would be no place to pee or poop.

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Ask about dosing on the anti-inflammatory. My dog takes it twice a day, so I’m wondering if Nathan might need to take it more often for best effect.

Glad he’s upstairs now.

I’m trying to think of something better than a pillow if you have to carry him again. A doggy stretcher… A large cutting board might work, if he’d stay still. A yoga mat that you placed him in and then lifted? I’ll keep thinking about it. I know that Amazon has some good quality, fairly inexpensive carriers. It might be worth looking into. I got one for about $20 that holds all 3 of my cats in a pinch, but usually just 2 of them.

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Penny used to go up and down stairs with great alacrity. She still runs downstairs to go out in the back yard, but won’t come up. It doesn’t hurt her, she just won’t do it. For a while I coaxed her up with cookies, but I gave up and carry her upstairs under my arm like a football.
I think she is eight.

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Do they not…loudly discuss who gets to sit where?